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"The countries of the world, India included, have set for themselves the Millennium Development Goals. Our date with destiny is not at the end of the millennium, but in the year 2015. Will we achieve those goals? In the eleven years that remain, it is in our hands to shape our destiny. Progress is not always on a linear path, nor is it inevitable
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- P Chidambaram in his budget speech of 2004.
In September 2000, 189 Heads of State and Government committed on behalf of their people in the Millennium Declaration.(refer to UN meeting).The Declaration reaffirms universal values of equality, mutual respect and shared responsibility for the conditions of all peoples and seeks to redress globalisation's hugely unequal benefits. At the heart of the Declaration are human rights, peace, gender equity, environment.
 Eight Millennium Development Goals emerged from the Declaration, firmly committing governments to a minimal set of Goals and targets by a deadline of 2015.
Social Watch is the convergence point for the MDG campaign in India. Social Watch has decided to take the campaign forward by giving it a local perspective in the context of National Development Goals (NDGs) and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government's Common Minimum Programme (CMP).The comparative picture of the MDGs, NDGs and commitments under CMP clearly reflect consistent commitments in many areas whereas in many of the MDGs , national commitments are far more ambitious than the MDGs.
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No. |
MDG Goals |
National development Goals/
Targets-Tenth Five Year Plan |
CMP Goals |
| 1. |
Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger-
- Reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day.
- Reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.
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Reduction of poverty ratio by 5 percentage points by 2007 and by 15 percentage points by 2012. |
- Enact National Employment guarantee Act.
- 100 days employment every year at minimum wages for at least one able bodied person in every rural, urban poor and lower middle class household.
- Double the flow of rural credit in the next three years.
- Strengthen public distribution system in poorest and backward blocks of the country.
- Amtyodaya cards for all households at risk of hunger.
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| 2. |
Achieve universal primary education-
- Ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling
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All children in school by 2003;all children to complete 5 years of schooling by 2007. |
- Provide functional Anganwari in every settlement and ensure full coverage for all the children.
- To raise public spending in education to at least 6% of the GDP with at least half amount being spent on primary and secondary schools.
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| 3. |
Promote gender equality and empower women-
- Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015
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Reduction of gender gaps in literacy and wage rates by at least 50% by 2007 |
- Introduce legislation for one third reservation for women in Vidhan Sabha and Lok sabha.
- At least one third of the funds flowing into panchayats earmarked for programmes for the development women and children.
- Enacting new legislation that gives women equal rights of ownership of assets like houses and land.
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| 4. |
Reduce child mortality-
- Reduce by two thirds the mortality rate among children under five
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Reduction of infant mortality rate to 45 per 1000 live births by 2007 and to 28 by 2012 |
- To raise public spending to at least 2-3% of the GDP over the next 5 years with focus on primary health care.
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| 5. |
Improve Maternal Health-
- Reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio
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Reduction of maternal mortality ratio (MMR) to 2 per 1000 live births by 2007 and to 1by 2012 |
- To introduce a national scheme on health insurance for the poor families.
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| 6. |
Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases-
- Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDSHalt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases
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| 7. |
Ensure environmental sustainability-
- Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes; reverse loss of environmental resources.
- Reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water.
- Achieve significant improvement in lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers, by 2020.
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Increase in forest and tree cover to 25% by 2007 and 33% by 2012
Cleaning of major polluted rivers by 2007 and other notified streches by 2012 |
- Ownership rights of minor forest produce, including Tendu patta to those who live in forests.
- Eviction of tribal communities and their forest dwelling from forest areas will be discontinued.
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The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are more than mere aspirations. They are more than shared global goals. They are international community's time- bound and quantified commitment to cut sharply by 2015 the extent of extreme poverty. India is lagging behind many of the countries in addressing the MDGs due to lack of adequate budgetary commitments and the lack of affirmative policy framework.
The privatisation and marketisation of development reduce the bargaining capacity of citizens, making them mere consumers of public goods and services. Coupled with such a pretentious policy environment and more rhetoric and less commitment, the inaccessible 'right to information' and of public transparency and accountability degenerates' democracy perpetuating development deprivation.
Civil Society engagement becomes pertinent to situate the goals in micro realities, sensitising citizens as well as influencing the programmes, policies and practices of the government in a positive manner. It may be done by highlighting the shortcoming, building positive examples as well as providing alternative database on the performance of goals. As the battle of providing such basic services to the people could not won in the last five and a half decades post-independence in India, there is every chance of missing it by the 2015, unless all relevent the energies are put in this direction. Various civil society groups, ongoing movements , voluntary organisations, community based organisations, trade unions, media, academic institutions, neighborhood groups, associations of various social interests need to come together to strengthen the voices of citizens for attainment of development goals set internationally, nationally and locally.
State Level MDG Consultations
Social Watch has held series of consultations in various states to build state specific strategy for the campaign and to identify issues for common action at the national level. State Level consultations were held at Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Orissa. A clear consensus emerged from these consultations on taking the campaign forward using the strength of the civil society organisations.
National Convention on Wada Na Todo Abhiyan
A National Convention on MDGs was held in New Delhi during 4-5 November 2004.The campaign in India has been named as Wada Na Todo Abhiyan (Keep the Promises). Participants representing most of the regions in India attended the convention to strategise and show their commitment towards this campaign. This broadbased campaign was formally launched during this convention.
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